Freezing tray with drainage top



April 10, N45; MALLARD FREEZING TBAY WITH DRAINAGE TOP Filed .Dec. 4, 1941 H6. If

Z004 LMALMED,

Patented Apr. 10, 1945 I Logan L. Mallard, Norfolk, Va.

Application December 4, 1941, Serial No. 421,647

3 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigeration, and particularly to an improved ice tray or mold for use in the freezing compartments or evaporatorsof domestic refrigerators.

A difllculty encountered in the removal of ice I from trays for use has been the freezing of the ice blocks or cubes to one another at the top of the grid compartments. Frequently, ice trays are provided with grids which allow the water to overflow and form a solid cake of ice over the top of the grids. The average user ofdomestic refrigerators seldom fills the tray properly, so that ofttimes an excess is poured into the tray and overflows the grid partitions. Also, water or moisture sometimes drains into the tray from the inner walls of the evaporator or from an adjacent tray, or the water in the several freezing compartments may overflow due to expansion.

An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an ice tray constructed in a manner such as to avoid the difliculties above noted. More specifically, the improved tray is provided with self draining surfaces at the top edges of the grid'compartments which will ensure drainage of surplus water from said edges irrespective of the quantity of water poured into the tray, so that there will be no ice formation joining the cubes above the grid partitions.

Another object is to provide a tray for freezing ice cubes having a gas expansion chamber in the base thereof such as disclosedin my copending applications Serial Numbers 290,479 and 421,641, filed August 16, 1939, and December 4, 1941, respectively, wherein the frozen ice cubes will be free from one another and may therefore be more readily dislodged from their respective grid compartments.

The foregoing and other objects and advanpages will become apparent in view of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawing, wherein:

Fig. *1 is a perspective view of a tray in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on F 1; and.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken the line 2-2,

through a tray of modified construction.

Referring to the drawing in detail and first to cated at Iii and comprises an outer shell II and an inner shell 12 formed with a series of grid compartments i3. 'Fhese inner and outer shells may be formed of suitable material, such as sheet metal stampings and joined in sealed relation at N by welding or in any other suitable manner.

When the shells are thus joined, a chamber I5 is provided at the base of the grid compartments or individual molds I: which may be charged with a suitable expansible gas in the manner indicated in my copending application Serial Number 290,479, filed August 16, 1939. When the tray is placed in a freezing compartment or evaporator, the gas contracts or condenses in volume, and when the tray is removed from its freezing compartment and subjected to room or atmospheric temperature, the gas expands and acts on thefiexible bottoms 15' of the freezing compart-' ments l3 and flexes the latter upwardly to eject I the ice mass or blocks from the respective compartments.

The outer marginal or edge portion of the inner shell is preferably formed with a rounded downturned edge or bead I 6 to insure drainage of water Figs. 1 and 2, the improved tray is generally indifrom said portion.

Therespective freezing chambers or compartments l3 are formed by a series of partition walls l1, l8, I9 and 20 which are joined at theirupper edges on a curved line, or are in effect roofshaped, as indicated at M, so as to avoid the formation of any flat surfaces on which water may collect. The topedges of the grid partitions at the central area of the tray reach their highest peak at this point and slope gradually outwardly towards the sides and ends of the tra y. In determining the height of the grid partitions, allowance should be made for expansion of water .during the freezing process. Irrespective of how much water is poured into a tray, constructed in this manner, there will never be a film of water collecting over the tops of the partitions. Fig. 3 shows a tray of single wall construction, or one. wherein the outer shell II is eliminated.- In thisinstance, the tray may consist of the inner shell only of Figs. 1 and 2 and parts thereof which correspond to such inner shell are given like reference numerals with the exception that a prime has been added.

A tray of the type herein disclosed is of particular advantage for use with a gas expansion ice ejecting or dislodging means and whereby the ice cubes or blocks may be automatically dislodged when the tray is removed from its freezing chamber and exposed to room or atmospheric temperature. In a tray of this type, the cubes -may not all be dislodged simultaneously by the force of the expanding gases, due to lack of uniformity in resistance encountered when the diaphragm pressure is applied, or for other causes,

lying above the level or the surrounding ,walls 01' the tray to thereby automatically drain water from said top walls and avoid formation of an ice bond between the ice cubes oi the respective grid compartments, and an outer shell spaced from said inner shell to provide an expansion chamber adapted to contain an expansible gas to eiiect a'utomatic dislodgement of the ice cubes when the tray isremoved from a freezing chamber and exposed to room or atmospheric temperature.

2. An ice tray comprising side and end wallsdefining 'a main compartment, partitions extending transversely and longitudinally oi said main compartment and dividing the latter into a plurality of individual grid compartments, said partitions at their upper edges being formed by walls having rounded contours, the rounded tops of said walls reaching a peakalong the longitudinal center line of the tray and intermediately opposite ends thereof to thereby cause drainage of fluid outwardly toward the sides and ends oi the tray when the grid compartments are tilled preparatory to freezing of the fluid therein.

3. An ice tray comprising side and end walls 'deflning a main compartment, partitions extending transversely and longitudinally oi said main compartment and dividing the latter into a plurality oi individual grid compartments, said partitions at their upper edges being formed by peaked walls having rounded contours arranged to drain outwardly towards the sides and ends of the tray. said-main compartment having its bottom wall spaced from the bottom walls of the individual grid compartments to provide an expansion chamber adapted to contain an expansible gas to eiiect automatic dislodgment or ice cubes when the tray is removed from a freezing chamber and exposed to room or atmospheric temperature.

LOGAN L. MALLARD. 

